Portland Blazers
knocking on door
of basketball elite
The month of May is upon us and to
most students that means the end of
the spring semester and the start of fi
nal exams. However, May signifies the
start of finals of a different kind to
sports fanatics such as myself, the
NBA finals.
The gruling 82 game season is over
and the playoffs are in full swing,
bringing witfi them the question that
every basketball fan asks at this time of
year — "Which team will be the next
world champions?"
This question is one which has
S irked many a heated debate among
A fans. Every fan has their own
opinion on who will win the
championship, but only one team will
win it all.
That team is the Portland Trailblaz-
ers.
I am from San Antonio, so my heart
is with the Spurs, but my common
sense says to go with the Blazers.
Portland reached the NBA finals last
rear and was swept in 4 games by the
I Detroit Pistons. The sweep was due to
slack of depth on the Blazers bench.
Jriven by this sweep, the Portland
iront office wheeled and dealed to ob-
ain bench players that will help bring
[ title to Portland.
Two of their acquisitions stand out
10m the others they made, the first of
hese being the deal that brought them
Danny Ainge.
Ainge came to Blazers from the Sac-
smento Kings, and prior to that he
a ed for the Boston Celtics. While
the Celtics, Ainge was a key factor
in their title runs of the 80's. Ainge
brings this playoff experience to the
Tim Schnettter
Columnist
played for the Boston Celtics. While
with the Celtics, Ainge was a key factor
in their title runs of the 80's. Ainge
brings this playoff experience to the
Blazers along with an excellent shoot
ing touch.
During the regular season Ainge av-
raged 11.1 points a game and drained
102 three-point shots.
He also was able to come into the
P ame and pick up the slack when the
ortland starters were not on their
game.
The second player that the Blazers
obtained was Walter Davis.
Davis was a mainstay of the Phoenix
Suns teams of the '80s and was always
among the team leaders when it came
to scoring.
Davis, whose career has spanned 14
years has always risen to the challenge
of the playoffs.
His valuable playoff experience will
be a major factor in the Blazers drive to
the title.
The contributions of Ainge and Da
vis, combined with one of the best
starting lineups in the NBA will bring
the city of Portland a world
championship.
Now that the question of who will
win this years title is answered, the
next question that will be asked is,
"Can tney do it again next year?"
Spurs coaches
impose curfew
Rockets welcome trouble;
adversity bonds players
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden
State surprisingly used a short lineup
to stop San Antonio's 7-foot-l David
Robinson in Game 2, but Warriors
coach Don Nelson may use a different
strategy for Wednesday's Game 3.
"I expect there will be some
changes," said Nelson, who used his
big men in the loss to the Spurs in the
first game of the best-of-5 playoff se
ries, before countering with a smaller
lineup to beat Robinson and the Spurs
in the second game.
"We're going to continue to make
some changes throughout the series.
Sometimes you need a major one, like
we did from Game 1 to Game 2, some
times you don't. But there'll always be
things we see we can do a little better,
hopefully."
Meanwhile, San Antonio coaches
also have made a change, imposing a
midnight curfew through the remain
der of the playoffs, which continue at
Oakland on Wednesday and Friday.
"If everyone's in at a decent time, it
tends to help everyone focus on what
they need to do," Spurs forward Terry
Cummings said. "We have to remem
ber not to let them (the Warriors) get
the upper hand."
Some Spurs players were spotted at
a club after midnight Friday, before
San Antonio's loss to the Warriors Sat
urday afternoon, the San Antonio Ex
press-News reported. Team officials
said they don't know what happened
but will look into it.
"I think the Saturday game was an
awakening for us," forward Sean El
liott said. The Spurs discussed the rule
at a players-only meeting Monday.
Saturday's Game 2 also removed the
spotlight from the Warriors' Big 3 of
Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond and
Tim Hardaway — who all shot under
50 percent from the floor —and onto
the reserves.
"The bench has done a great job for
us in this series," Nelson said. "I think
they're getting 36, 37 points a game,
and we couldn't have written it any
better."
HOUSTON (AP) — When many
coaches would be looking for a silver
lining, Don Chaney is encouraging
gloom.
Lakers center Vlade Divac has
played evenly with Houston's Hakeem
Olajuwon and James Worthy's perfor
mance in the first two games has
forced his Rockets counterpart. Buck
Johnson, into silence.
If there's any more bad news out
there, Chaney wants to hear it.
"I like the idea of people counting us
out because this team understands
how to get themselves together and
stay as a unit and fight the world,"
Chaney said. "And when they fight
the world, they are at their best."
The Rockets do have a good track re
cord for overcoming adversity this sea
son. They lost Olajuwon for 25 games
from Jan. 4-Feb. 28 and bonded to
gether for a 15-10 record that launched
them into a 14-1 mark in March.
"When you have all this speculation
and adversity out there, this team, in
stead of separating, they bond closer
and that's what I like," Chaney said.
Now the Rockets must overcome the
Lakers, who eliminated them in the
first round of the playoffs in four
games last year. TheyTl be trying to im
prove by sweeping the Rockets.
Divac averaged 11.2 points and 8.1
rebounds in the regular season but in
two playoff games against the Rockets,
he's got four blocked shots and is aver
aging 20 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Johnson has had the duty of trying
to hold down Worthy, who is hitting at
a 21.5 clip through two playoff games.
Chaney said the Rockets would try
to get the ball to Johnson more in the
third game.
"We should go to Buck Johnson a
little more in the offense but he's not to
the Rockets what Worthy is to the
Lakers," Chaney said.
Chaney is concerned with that mat
chup but he's more surprised by Di-
vac's emergence.
"The key to their success so far has
been Divac," Chaney said. "He's got
ten a lot of his baskets from Hakeem
rotating to help and they find him un
der the hoop."
Houston's two losses in Los Angeles
haven't lulled the Lakers.
"This thing isn't over by any
means," Worthy said. "If they con
tinue to play like they did in L.A., then
they will be trouble at home."
The Rockets have been eliminated
from the playoffs in the first round for
the past three years. They're accus
tomed to almost hopeless odds.
"They're not afraid of being down 2-
zip," Chaney said. "As long as the mo
rale is high and the confidence level is
high we're okay."
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